Reflections
by A Porcelain Victoria
Summary: As the Elric brothers come closer to the Philosopher's Stone, a new companion's enemy tighten's his hold on it. Is their new companion what they've needed to reach their goal? Or are they what she's needed to get her revenge? Review if you like it.
1. Chapter One

**The Beginnings of an Alchemist and Her Regrets**

Rhianna: 3 Warren: 5 Thomas: 6 Connor: 8

An early-summer day harbored the sweet laughter of children through a field of tall grass and flowers.

Three little boys ran and threw themselves into the grass as their little sister spun in circles with her hands over her eyes.

"-Nine... TEN! Ready or not, here I come!" The little girl laughed as she spun, pure joy written all over her face.

Racing through the grass that nearly swallowed the little girl whole, she screeched suddenly as she tripped over one of her brothers.

The two laughed, and Rhianna yelled "OLLY OLLY OXEN FREE! I CAUGHT THOMAS!" The other two popped out of the grass and tackled their brother, laughing and ruffling his hair.

They were all strong boys, different, yet all the same. Their sister was different as well.

The boys all had different shades of blonde hair; Thomas having almost white-blonde hair, Connor darker and more golden, and Warren just plain straw-colored. This they had inherited from their mother. Rhianna's hair was different from her entire family's, being a rich chestnut brown.

The boys all had bright brown eyes like their father. Rhianna had captivating blue eyes, the color of the sea during a fierce storm. They said nothing but immortal innocence and happiness, which suited her small, delicate stature. These qualities she had inherited from her great-grandmother, or so her Aunt Josephine said.

But their differences were set aside, as they always were, as Thomas stood up and began the ritual spinning and counting to ten.

Rhianna: 5 Warren: 7 Thomas: 8 Connor: 10

On a sunny hill in late autumn, an older Rhianna sat reading a large, square book. Gold lettering glittered on its bindings, but the rest was a plain navy blue. Her strange eyes were concentrated as they ran over the words, drinking in the knowledge that began at opening the cover.

She gasped and slammed the book shut as she heard footsteps behind her. It was Warren.

"What are you doing that you're not supposed to do, Rhianna?" He said, sitting down next to her, soon followed by Connor and Thomas.

"Nothing." she said pathetically, but her brothers won her over. Thomas grabbed the book and examined the gold lettering. His eyes widened.

"Sister, where did you get this book?" He asked then addressed his brothers. "It's a book of alchemy."

The brothers exchanged looks.

Rhianna looked at each of them, confused. "I found it when I was looking in your room for my jump rope. Why are you acting so strangely about it, Brothers?"

Connor rolled his eyes. "Ah, come off it, Thomas. She's just a kid; she wouldn't be able to comprehend what alchemy is."

Rhianna whirled around and glared at her older brother. "I can so. Alchemy is the pursue of proving theories scientifically through the study of past experiments and those of the natural elements."

Warren shook his head. "That's just a sentence, pet. Do you know what it really is?"

"I know what Thomas does, don't I?"

Thomas nodded. "You do. But have you ever tried alchemy?"

"Yes."

All three of her brothers were taken aback. "Wha-what did you... do?" Connor asked shakily.

"I made that statue of a kitty cat for Aunt Josephine." Rhianna said proudly.

All three of them blinked. Warren was rather shocked. "Out of what?"

Her answer wasn't the expected alibi of a piece of wood that looked like a cat landing in the center of her chalk drawings.

"Out of salt, sugar, and ash from the fireplace in the kitchen. It was the simplest transmutation circle in the book." She said, eyeing the book with eager eyes.

Thomas took this in and nodded again. "Did you respect the laws?"

Rhianna cocked her head. "The Laws of Metaphysics or the Laws of Alchemy?"

Connor shook his head. "Guess that answers that question."

Warren looked at Rhianna and smiled. "Did you like how it felt?"

Rhianna smiled back. "Yes, very much. It made me feel special, knowing that I can do alchemy like Thomas."

Connor and Warren looked at Thomas. Then Connor spoke. "We'll ask Aunt Josephine if you may pursue this hobby. I'm sure she'll say yes."

Rhianna's face lit up and she leapt up to hug each of her brother's and ran off.

"So, you've rubbed off on the girl, haven't you, Thomas?" Warren said, and then followed her.

Rhianna: 9 Warren: 11 Thomas: 12 Connor: 14

The train harboring Thomas and Rhianna Mowett snaked through the deep valleys of the mountains towards their home. Rhianna was staring peacefully out of the window, while Thomas was looking at her.

"Rhianna?"

She turned to face him. "Yes, brother?"

Thomas sighed. "I'm scared for you, Rhianna. Do you think you're big enough to be able to use alchemy if you're in trouble?"

Rhianna frowned. "I'm nine. And I'm good at alchemy; Teacher said I was more skilled than you."

Thomas shook his head. "I don't mean your age. I mean your size. A good wind would throw you into space and back. You need to be able to defend yourself when Warren, Connor, and I aren't around."

Rhianna glanced out the window, then back at Thomas. "Teacher said that one could summon weapons without a transmutation circle. I'll learn to do that and you, Warren, and Connor can teach me how to fight. Is that to your liking?"

Thomas shook his head. "It will take a lot of work to summon a weapon, you realize?"

Rhianna nodded.

Thomas looked at her earnestly. "And your brothers will always be there to protect you, right?"

Rhianna smiled. "Right!"

Thomas returned her smile and sat back. "Good; we'll start when we reach home."

They reached home two days later.

Running up the dirt path to their small house, Rhianna was welcomed back into her brother's open arms. Warren, on seeing her, had raced down to her and swooped her into a big hug.

Connor and their aunt Josephine followed him down the hill. Warren ran to Thomas and hugged him as Rhianna received another warm welcome, then the oldest two swooped down upon him.

Aunt Josephine led them back up to the house. Her smile didn't reach her eyes, but she seemed happy to see her niece and nephew.

Their Aunt Josephine was a kind woman with freckles and dark blonde hair.

Her brother, who had been the children's father, had been having trouble with debt before he and his wife had died in the car crash that had orphaned their children. She lived in fear of those he was indebted to would find them and punish her for his debts. Luckily, the children were blissfully ignorant to this.

That night, after a splendid feast, Rhianna followed Thomas to the field they'd played in as children. The grass that had once towered above Rhianna now came to her waist.

"What did Teacher say about alchemy being a balance?" Thomas asked, standing a few feet away from his sister.

Rhianna frowned, trying to find the answer inside her young, yet amazing memory.

Her face lit up with the answer. "Alchemy must be a balance of both intellectual prowess and physical strength. One is not an alchemist if they do not keep the balance, I believe is how she said it, brother."

"Correct down to the adverbs, little sister. Now, since you have excelled in the intellectual part of this balance, your physical strength must be built."

Thomas was in front of her in an instant. His fist was less than a centimeter away from Rhianna's forehead.

She jumped and Thomas continued.

"You must learn to control every muscle and reflex. Without control, there is no use for such a balance." He said, backing off now.

She nodded, slightly un-nerved by her brother's sudden movement.

Thomas smiled. "Now, the fun part. Punch me." Rhianna took a step back, aghast. Thomas nodded. "Come on, munchkin! I _dare_ you to punch me!" He laughed as she bristled.

Her small fist slammed him in the stomach, pushing him to his knees. She had knocked the air out of him.

Rhianna cocked an eyebrow. "I hate that nickname, Brother."

Wincing, he stood. "Nice hit, kid. Now, let's see you do a somersault."

Rhianna blinked, then shrugged. She rolled over in the grass.

Thomas crossed his arms. "This is serious. If you're going to get smug about it, do it in the air."

Rhianna frowned. "I apologize for my arrogance. Now, teach me brother!"

Days of training turned into months; Rhianna was quickly learning how to summon a weapon and she was able to be an even match with Thomas.

The seasons changed and her work paid off in the best way. All of her brothers fell at her feet, and then stood, smiling at her progress.

Rhianna: 10

After a year and a half of studying and training, Rhianna was free. She felt herself accomplished, which in turn brightened her family's mood.

Of course, as sometimes happens, the very balance of life must even itself out.

On the first really cold day of autumn, after the leaves had changed into beautiful vermilions and ruby-reds, Rhianna was on the field where she had spent her time as a child, reading a book.

It was a relatively calm day. The leaves were beginning to fall in abundance, and no birds serenaded the young girl as she read, but she seemed content.

Suddenly, a huge wind struck Rhianna's back, nearly toppling her. She righted herself and brushed the hair out of her eyes.

She stopped as she heard the echo of gunshots on the wind. She frowned.

"Stupid poachers. They're on our land again." She closed her book and began to walk towards her home.

Time seemed to slow, but returned to normal, if not too fast as soon as she reached the door of her house.

She stopped, her breath caught in her throat.

The door was open, hanging on a hinge. At least four men were running through their house, guns at the ready, everyone screaming.

In a blur, Thomas grabbed her and dragged her into the small ceiling attic of their house, slamming the thin door into place under her.

"THOMAS!" she yelled as she saw an approaching figure.

Forever, this image would be etched into the child's already amazing memory. A man with a shaven head dressed in black walked towards her brother. A dragon tattoo snaked around the left side of his face; his eyes were terrifying even when they weren't facing her.

She heard more screaming and yelling as she heard Thomas being dragged away, as well as several gunshots.

Minutes seemed to be days, but after what seemed like a forever had passed all was silent. Rhianna heaved the attic door open with stiff limbs and jumped down with a hard thud.

She stood shakily, looked around and screamed.

Blood was spattered over the walls and floor, making a scarlet trail that lead out the back door.

Following it, Rhianna first saw her aunt. She had been shot several times in the stomach. She was stone cold, having bled to death tied to a tree.

"Aunt Josephine?" Rhianna whimpered, tears beginning to fall from her eyes.

Time slowed into a horrible nightmare of her family's blood.

She turned to see two bodies at the base of the house's wall, their blood bright and fresh against the white of the paneling. She ran to them, collapsing by their feet.

"Warren... Connor... you're not... don't leave me." She lay down between them, waiting to follow them into their forever slumber.

She opened her eyes in an instant as the sound of Thomas' voice. She had heard it...he was being tortured, she guessed. But her mind was blurred, imprinting every moment of this in images that she would happen upon in deep sleep that she'd never have again.

"_Come what may...from a bend in the road. Our future bright...I'll be here when the sun rises. Don't try to fool me... I see your eyes closing. Sleep until the sun smiles down... dream of memories good and happy. Around the bend, dear... come what may. Take the turn off the beaten path... there I'll wait. I'll wait for you. come what may_."

She dissolved into tears, singing their mother's lullaby as she clung helplessly to her brother's bodies. Rain began to fall, but the quivering girl was numb to the ice-cold droplets on her skin.


	2. Chapter Two

**Newer Beginnings**

Rhianna: 16

The earth gave a mighty sigh towards Central City, whipping debris down streets, bending tree branches.

Rhianna trudged down the main road, her near-empty suitcase banging against her thigh. She'd drastically regretted her choice of wardrobe, since she'd packed for fall and instead received a harsh winter wind.

Luckily, she'd been called to Central. Mustang had sent her a telegraph that said she was needed for something, so she assumed that it was his normal way of saying "come home and see everyone."

Her friendship with Roy had changed when she'd received orders to head towards Ishbal. He'd been harsh with her at their last meeting, correcting little things she did, being short with her, until he just stopped talking to her altogether.

But all was forgiven as she reached the new library.

This was her safe haven, her special place. In its predecessor, she and Sciezka had spent long hours listening to records and comparing books. Sciezka had been like a sister to her.

Lately, however, like most things lately, Sciezka had left her with warning. A few months earlier, she'd returned to attend Maes' funeral and learned that Sciezka had been whisked away to someplace north of Central, called Resembool.

Up and down the rows, she meandered, finally settling down in the history section in a valley of books she'd created.

Her mind soaked up the information, as it did with everything else. She finished a book on philosophy in thirty-five minutes, which barely beat her record of 348 pages in forty-two minutes.

As her hand grasped another book she'd grabbed, her emotions flared.

It was a book about divination and scrying, much like the one she'd first received from Sciezka.

She opened it slowly, and her eyes landed on a definition of scrying.

"_Usually achieved by concentrating on or staring at an object having a shiny surface until a vision appears._"

She nodded, impressed by the accurateness.

Then, she settled back into another book and was lost between the covers.

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

A fierce wind slapped the Elric brothers in their faces as they trekked down the main street of Central. It was a few days until the first official day of winter, but it seemed that the weather had decided to hurry the process by a few weeks.

The biting cold was helped along by snow that they were able to avoid as they stepped inside the new library.

Edward's face was a strange color of blue, and thick icicles hung from Al's armor.

"I h-h-h-hate snowstorms!" Ed grumbled as he shook the snowflakes from his coat.

Al laughed. "At least you won't need an ice-pick to clean yourself up." He snapped off one of the icicles with amusement in his eyes.

After they hung their coats up on a nearby rack, Al looked up at the huge library's vaulted ceilings. "They did a great job restoring this place. It looks really great."

Ed nodded in agreement. "It almost looks _too_ grand. But come on, let's look around. Mustang said he wanted us in his office at 4:45 sharp."

The boys walked up and down the rows of books, stopping to grab one here and there.

"It looks like they've gotten a lot more books than in the first one." Al said. His arms were already full with books of transmutation circles.

Ed nodded in agreement and turned to go into the next row.

Al nearly jumped of out his armor when he heard something like a nuclear explosion in the other row.

What sounded like half a shelf of books smashed to the floor and Al hurried after his brother.

"MY NOSE!" he heard Ed yell. "WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, MAN!"

He heard a growl from another person. "YOU were the one that ran into ME. And look what you did to my face!"

Ed's voice grew louder. "LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO MY NOSE! IT'S BLEEDING!"

"WELL, SO IS MY FOREHEAD!" A girl's voice was rivaling Ed's for loudness.

Al flew around the corner and came upon an interesting sight.

Ed was sprawled out under dozens of books, his hand under his nose to try and make it stop bleeding. The look on his face was murderous.

The girl, meanwhile, was still wrestling with the books that had fallen on her. She finally sat up, holding her hand against a purple bruise that had blossomed on her forehead.

Her dark brown hair was braided and hung over her shoulder, with curls framing her small features. She had on a simple tan military dress, with gold buttons down the front and a pleated skirt, and a white blouse under it. Worn military boots adorned her small feet, over thick red knee-high socks.

Even Ed stopped to stare. Her eyes were so strange; they were silvery and reflective, like two living mirrors. But, at the moment, they were bright with anger and annoyance.

Her cheeks were red, as were her eyes, Al realized. She must've been holding back tears.

But Ed wouldn't back down. "Either watch where you're going or don't complain when you get in someone's way!"

Al helped his brother up, but Ed shoved him off.

The girl glared at him and grabbed a book from the floor, giving it a sudden swipe through the air. It transformed into a cold compress, which she set on her forehead as she stalked off.

Al's eyes shone down at Ed. "Why do you always have to flip out like that?"

Ed whirled around to face his brother. "Me? I flipped out! She slammed her books into my nose!" He pointed to his still-bleeding nose.

"She was crying, Ed." Al said bluntly.

Ed scoffed. "No, she was not. She was too busy plotting her next attempt on my life."

Al rolled his eyes and pointed towards the door. "We have fifteen minutes to be in Mustang's office, by the way."

Ed grimaced and kicked the books off of him. "Fine, let's head off."

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

It was a full-blown snowstorm when Rhianna crunched into the main street of Central City. She shivered, trying to hold her thin jacket closer to her body.

As soon as she'd made it out of the boys line of vision, she let the hot tears of embarrassment and hurt slide down her cheeks.

She knew she was clumsy, and that it was probably her fault, but she wasn't used to it being pointed out. And he hadn't looked when he'd come around the corner. And all those books that had toppled over, before she could even finish the third one…

There was a little cut in the middle of the bump on her forehead, and the combined cold of the compress she'd transmuted and the cold air numbed it quickly.

The same shiver shot up her spine as she thought about the man she'd collided with. There had been something familiar about him, and it was eating away at her.

With a sigh, she hurried down the street and into the relative warmth of the first building her fingers touched.

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Ed and Al hurried down the hallway of the Central building, pieces of a tissue shoved up Ed's nose.

He was grumbling and Al was just angry that they'd be late. At the end of the hall, the door to the Colonel's office was partially open, and they hurried just a little bit more.

Ed began his explanation before he even got into the door. "Look, before you beat it out of us, we ran into someone in the-"

But he stopped in shock as he flung open the door and met a pair of shocked silver eyes.

"You! What are you doing here!" Ed asked, dumbfounded.

Behind him, Al could only blink in confusion.

The girl glared at him. "What do you mean, what am I doing here? What are you doing here?" She whorled around to face Mustang. "Did you do this just to annoy me?"

The Colonel looked between the girl and the brothers, with baffled amusement.

"It would appear that you three already know each other. That makes my job quite a bit easier."

Ed narrowed his eyes in anger. "Out with it. What did you drag us all down here for?"

Mustang leaned back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest.

"I have a mission that pertains to your interests, Edward. And yours, too, Rhianna."

Rhianna frowned, trying to get Mustang's meaning.

Meanwhile, Ed had sat down at the empty chair in front of Mustang's desk.

Mustang shuffled a few papers on his desk and leaned forward.

"Over the last three weeks, we have received information regarding the whereabouts of both the Philosopher's Stone and of the Serpent."

Ed sat up straighter at the mention of his goal, while Rhianna's eyes widened.

He looked straight at her strange silver eyes. "If you'd rather, Ms. Mowett, you may be briefed in private. I know it's a touchy subject."

She took a deep breath, but shook her head. "I'm fine; I don't remember that well today. And it would be Lieutenant Colonel Mowett, as of last year."

Mustang nodded and continued.

"We have reason to believe that the Serpent is in possession of a Philosopher's Stone. There have been many questionable incidents in Drachma, and those incidents line up with others that have involved the Stone."

Edward nodded. "Now, who's the Serpent?"

Al and Ed turned their heads at the sound of Rhianna's swift intake of breath.

With an eye to Rhianna, Mustang spoke slowly.

"He is a very dangerous, very skilled assassin who has the image of a dragon snaking around his head. He has murdered dozens of people because of debts that were owed to him or others in his faction."

Al shook his head sadly. "That's terrible."

Mustang nodded, glancing over at Rhianna.

She was frowning in concentration, but Al and Ed were puzzled as to what she could be concentrating on, so assumed it was on the information.

"For now, you should stock up on supplies for a few weeks. You'll be up north in midwinter, so pack warmly." Mustang handed them each a folder, filled with information. "I hope that you both understand the gravity of what you are undertaking. This mission could be the last thing you ever do."

Rhianna nodded. "Thanks, Roy. I'll see you at Grace's house, I hope?"

The Colonel shrugged. "I don't know if I'll be able to get away; I'll try, though."

"Alright, then. And please, actually try, this time."

With that, she brushed past the boys. Ed's senses were accosted by the scent of fresh air and honeysuckle.

Mustang stood and headed towards the door of his office. "If I were you, I'd catch up with Lieutenant Colonel Mowett. You three are going to be together for a long, long while; you may as well try and get off on the right start."

Ed rolled his eyes and pushed passed Al, who shrugged sheepishly.

"It may be a little late for that."

Farther down the hall, Rhianna was wandering towards the door when she heard someone calling for her.

"Hey, Lieutenant Mowett!" a young man's voice called.

She turned, and saw the man in armor from Mustang's office. "Um…it's Lieutenant Colonel, but no matter. What did you want?"

The man stopped in front of her, and she could see something like an embarrassed glow in his eyes. "Um…we were just wondering if we could tag along; do you need some help with anything?"

Rhianna was rather taken aback, but she nodded.

"I actually could. Would you mind helping me carry some flowers?"

Al nodded, happiness lighting his otherwise metal features. "Sure! Where?"

"To the cemetery." she said softly.

Al was quiet for a second, and Rhianna blushed.

"You don't have to go; I can handle it, actually."

Al shook his head. "No, I was actually thinking of going too. There's someone I wanted to go see. We'll go together and save a trip."

Rhianna's face brightened with a small smile. "Sounds good to me."

Edward sauntered up at that moment. "Look, since we'll all be stuck together, I'll go ahead and be the bigger man and let you apologize now."

Rhianna's smile disintegrated.

"Me? Apologize? You're the one that didn't look around when you turned the corner!"

Ed rolled his eyes. "Yeah, okay, lady."

"That's LIEUTENANT COLONEL to you, little boy!"

At this point, the entire building had either run for cover or raced outside.

Ed's face was as red as a flaming tomato. "WHO'RE YOU CALLING A PIECE OF SAND YOU CAN'T SEE WITHOUT A MICROSCOPE!"

The two smashed the doors open and argued down the stairs, leaving Al to run after them.


End file.
